That’s what it is like to be hit with a Taser, an electronic stun gun, said McLaughlin. Local police departments are increasingly turning to the Taser weapon to subdue unruly suspects, including Saturday night, when Stoughton police used it when a brawl broke out at a baby shower.

It was the third time in six months Stoughton police have used the weapon, called “less-than-lethal” by law enforcement.

“The officer was trying to quell the disturbance and deal with a non-compliant person,” said Executive Officer Robert Devine of the incident Saturday night that resulted in the arrest of three men and a 14-year-old boy.

Officers described the melee as a “nightmare.”

“This officer showed significant restraint going to the Taser instead of their firearms, considering the danger some of them thought they were in,” said Devine.

Several local departments have begun arming their officers with the Taser.

Officers in East Bridgewater started carrying a Taser about four months ago and have used it once – when a suspect refused to take his hands out from under his body and be placed under arrest. The officer shocked the suspect in order to handcuff him, said McLaughlin.

Other local departments with Tasers include Bridgewater, Middleboro, Raynham and Norton.

“Given the number of people that are arrested and those that are aggressive, it’s used in a minority of cases,” said Bridgewater Police Chief Chris Delmonte. “The reason we utilize it now is simply to give officers another option in the field.”

Delmonte said in the two years officers have been armed with the weapon, it has been used twice.

Brockton police are in the process of undergoing the required training and hope to have shift supervisors armed with stun guns in the next few weeks, said Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes.

Easton Police Chief Allan Krajcik said his officers are not currently armed with Taser guns, but it is something he has considered in light of injuries to officers while trying to subdue violent suspects.

Officers are required to do 24 hours of training in Massachusetts before they can be armed. They also have the option of being hit with the stun gun.

“Having it happen to me, I never want to have it happen again,” said Devine. “But I will say that even if you get hit with the Taser, you recover immediately.”

Page 2 of 2 - “The vast majority of the time, the Taser gets removed from the holster and turned on, people just give up and that’s the whole point of it,” said Devine. “We want to bring someone to control with as little risk to the people and the officer as possible.”

Devine also called the weapon “accountable” because it has a built-in camera that films the incident and records everything the weapon does, including the second it was turned on and deployed, all of which can be used as evidence and is examined each time it is used.

The Taser, unlike other law enforcement weapons like a baton and pepper spray, can be efficient when the officer is anywhere from 15 to 35 feet from the suspect.

“If somebody has a weapon and they’re trying to hurt you, you don’t have to get right up on them like you used to,” said McLaughlin.

Police officials also said the Taser’s effects last only 10 seconds and recovery is almost instantaneous, where the risk of long-term injury is much higher with other weapons.

“Police officers, a lot of time, are in the restraining business and when people are violent or drug-induced, we’ve had officers seriously hurt in some of these predicaments,” said Gomes, Brockton’s chief. “From what we’ve seen, there have been some resolutions (when Tasers are used).”

The American Civil Liberties Union has questioned the “less-than-lethal” status of the weapon.

“One of the concerns is that there is a perception that they are a non-lethal weapon,” said Chris Ott, ACLU of Massachusetts spokesman. “We’re concerned that these are seen as some sort of science-fiction stun gun that doesn’t harm anyone, but that’s not always the case.”

Delmonte said the weapon is not perfect and should not be the first choice for officers.

“It’s not the solution to every single situation, but it does provide us with another tool,” said Delmonte. “It’s an added option that we didn’t have before and one of the best tools to come from technology.”